November 03, 2005
it's mail time!
My Uncle Bud requested that I check in occasionally and post what my readers have to say about the various topics under discussion around here. I found this to be a great idea, as after just one month I realized I could fill an entire entry with some quality Q&A. Believe it or not, you're not the only one reading this blog while passing time during your lunchbreak, or every Tuesday night anxiously awaiting the new episode of "The Real World: Austin." Much like Nehemiah and Wes' groupie drawer, the Sporting Word fanbase grows exponentially on a nightly basis. If there's a Dizzy Rooster of online sports blogging, this page is it.As always, with fame comes scrutiny - here are your thoughts, and my answers:
"Are you trying to tell me that if you were to create a team, from scratch, you're first move would be to pick up a playoff closer?"
- justin, Somerville, MA
I was actually re-thinking what I wrote about The Great Mariano and Brad Lidge while driving in the car today, and decided that I had to re-phrase what I wrote. Then my readers, as astute as they are, gave me this opportunity to correct my error. Instead of writing "there may be nothing more important in the modern era," I should have been more specific to the annual Fall Classic event itself. As such, I should have written, "There may be nothing more important to winning a World Series than having a top playoff closer."
If you look at the Yankees' World Series wins, the most consistent performer was always Rivera. Jeter, O'Neill, Brosius, Williams, and all the starting pitchers were generally great as well, but it was The Great Mariano who put it all together and shut the door every time when they needed him to. A great World Series team needs to have that guy at the end of the game that can squash all emerging hopes once the starter is gassed and the team leading the game seems at its weakest. With the recent Yankee dynasty, though, they won championships because by the time the starting pitching was in the clubhouse the pitching got better. Nobody on the Padres, Braves, or Mets was looking to the 8th and 9th innings to make a comeback because it simply never happened. Also, when Mariano failed, the team failed - just look at 2001 against the Diamondbacks and, more notably, the 2004 ALCS. So, to answer the question - no, I wouldn't build a team from scratch by picking a closer first. I'd start with Kelly Leak, just like anyone else.
"Thank you for posting such a detailed account of the game - until we get our ESPN full court lined up (and the games are broadcast) it's nice to have information about the game. Is Terrence really injured? There's no reference to that on SU's page. . ."
- patricia, Downers Grove, IL
Hey, anything I can do to help Orange fans across the country, especially if I'm exposing a secret within the Athletics program! I'm surprised the Saint Rose game wasn't televised in Illinois, though - I figured the Fighting Illini could have shown some of the Devendorf footage to their freshman class to demonstrate how real recruits are able to perform. Hell, they could use it for the seniors, too, if they want... Devendorf, by the way, had 16 points in 23 minutes tonight in the exhibition against LeMoyne College, hitting 2 of 4 treys to give Gerry some help beyond the arc (they won, 94-54, with D. Nichols dropping 23 pts as well).Yes, Terrence is really injured. He played with a brace tonight, but only for 16 minutes - just long enough to foul out of the game. I wasn't at the Dome tonight, but according to my sources he was fairly mobile even though he played with a bit of a limp at times. That's OK, though - it was actually just T-Rob gettin' gangsta.
"Sounds depressing down there. I guess Syracuse can do that to ya sometimes with all the snow and crappy football. Well things in Placid arent any better, its 35 right now and the wind is blowing at 95 mph giving a windchill of ~ -200. Oh yea, and its October."
- duncan, Lake Placid, NY
Yep. The football team is a crappy 1-7, and currently #6 in ESPN.com's Bottom 10 worst teams in all of Division I football. There's something to be proud of, right? Oh well. In weather like that you shouldn't be worrying about bad football, anyway. Shouldn't 95 mph winds qualify for some kind of FEMA help?
"I was at the Rutgers game and it was probably the ugliest thing I've ever seen in person. For some reason though, I don't feel nearly as bitter and angry as in recent years. It could be Gross's propaganda from the beginning of the season going to my head; it could be that I like Robinson that much; it could be that I have a renewed faith in God and all things unexplainable. I think I may just be numb with disappointment."
- chris, Syracuse, NY
It is definitely strange that the team is 1-7, a feat of feebleness that was never even approached by ex-coach Pasqualoni, and yet they're getting a free pass on this season (and it looks like next year will be included). It seems the community has just accepted that SU has a bad football team, and is willing to wait a few years to see if Coach Robinson and Athletic Director Gross can turn it around. The reason for this is that they have already convinced us that they will do it: both of them are brimming with energy, confident in "the Syracuse University brand" and are genuinely convinced that they will succeed in their efforts to put SU back in the Top 10. With Pasqualoni, there was no future. We knew he wouldn't take the program anywhere and we were stuck just waiting for him to quit or eventually get stoned on the quad. Once Gross took the initiative to fire and hire, we finally had something to look forward to again. That's what's refreshing about this particular 1-7 season - some hope for a new direction and the improvement that will eventually come with it. We'll even wait 3 or 4 years to get there.
and finally,
"dave siock is a saint."
- turner, boston, MA
Yes, Mr. Siock was an incredible force for the Orangemen in the early 1990's. I will never forget that time he was playing defense in the lane and made an incredible move to stop an opposing guard from getting to the hoop...6 seconds after the ball had dropped through the net. That was pretty good for him, though - Siock usually spent the entire game standing in the halfcourt circle with a mirror and comb, perfecting the part in his hair.
That big head was pretty perfect, though - it was even good enough to get him a spot on HoopScoop Online's 15th team All-America in 1988. Is that how they did it in the 80's? Why stop at 3rd team when you can go all the way to 30? If I had known that, I would've played varsity in '88 - surely I could've made at least the 25th team.
